Pressing machine clamp



Sept. 2, 1941. w. A. HOCH PRESSING MACHINE CLAMP Filed March 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheetl 1 1N VENT OR.

ATTORNEYS Sept. 2, 1941.

W. A. HOCH PRESSING MACHINE CLAMP Filed March 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

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PRESSING MACHINE CLAMP Filed March 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 2, 1941 PRESSING MACHINE CLAIWP Walter A. Hoch, Forest Hills, N. Y., assigner to New York Pressing Iron Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 22, 1940, Serial No. 325,351

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and improved pressing machine clamp.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a clamp which can be used in conjunction with a machine for pressing shirts and other garments, and which will hold the collar of the shirt or other garment upstanding, while the remainder of the garment is being pressed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp which can be easily and simply manipulated by means of a handle, and which will be automatically locked in its clamping position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which shall be simple and reliable to operate, and which can be manufactured at low cost.

Other objects of my invention will be set forth in the following description and drawings which illustrate a certain preferred embodiment, it being understood that the above statement of the objects of my invention is intended to generally explain the same without limiting it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the pressing machine, showing the improved clamp applied thereto. In this view the clamp is shown in its operative position.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1, showing the clamp in its inoperative position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an elevation at the inner side of the clamp, while it is held in inoperative position.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views, partially in elevation and partially in section, showing the essential parts for operating the clamp.

Fig. 8 is a detail top plan view.

Fig. 9 is a vertical elevation, partially in section, on the line 9- 9 of Fig. 8 showing the movable clamping member and the fixed clamping member and other auxiliary parts. Y

Fig. 10 is a detail section, partially in elevation.

Fig. 11 is a sectional View on the line ||I| of Fig. 10.

The device is shown as applied to a conventional pressing machine which has the usual padded buck I, and the usual head 2. The head 2 is mounted for turning movement in the usual manner (not shown in the drawings), so that said head can be applied to or be moved away from the buck. The Vhead 2 is provided with a recess 3, in order to clear the means which hold the collar of the shirt in upstanding position.

Y A'bracket 4 is suitably` connected to the frame 55 45 threaded ends of the rods 22.

F of the machine. An upstanding arm 5 is suitably connected to this bracket 4.

Referring to Fig. 1, this arm 5 is provided at its upper end with a stop 6 which is made of V5 resilient vulcanized rubber or other suitable material. An auxiliary arm 'I is turnably connected to the main arm 5 by a suitable pivot pin 8, so that the auxiliary arm I is turnable relative to the main arm 5. A compression spring 9 has one l0 end thereof located in a recess of the arm 5.

15 passes through a collar or bearing I2 which is integral with the auxiliary arm 1. A mutilated o r partial gear I4, whose hub has a cam projection I5, is xed to said pivot pin II, so that the pivot pin II and said gear I4 turn in unison.

The teeth of the mutilated gear mesh with the teeth of a second mutilated gear I6. The mutilated gear I6 is iixed to a pivot pin 20a, so that the pivot pin 20a and the mutilated gear I6 turn in unison. The hub of the gear I6 is integral with a cam member II, whose angular shape in top plan view is shown in Fig. 3. This hub has an extension I'Ia, The pivot pin 20a is mounted in suitable bearings which are provided in extension 5a of the arm 5. The operating handle I8 is iixed to said pivot pin 25a. The

movable clamping member 20 is of general U- shape and it is made of relatively thin and springy metal. 'Ihis clamping member 20 is suitably connected to rigid head 2|. The ends of the clamping member 20 are detachably connected to the heads 24 of rods 22 which extend through the hollow bosses 23 of the head 2|. The tips of said rods 22 are externally threaded. Said rods 22 are held in position by means of bush- 40 ings 25 which are slidably mounted on said rods 22. The body of each said bushing is slidably guided in the bore or recess oi the respective hollow boss 23. Springs 26 are located in the recesses of the bosses 23. Nuts 2`I engage the Said rigid head 2| is fixed to pivot pin II. The resilient clamping member 20 is thus movable relative to rigid head 2|, in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of head 2|, and springsA 26 yieldingly maintain the clamping member 20 in normal position relative to head 2|.

The arm 5a is provided with a stop 28 which is made of resilient vulcanized rubber or the like.

A xed and rigid clamping member 30 has a horizontal web which is connected to the buck by means of bolts 3l, which have heads 32. The shanks of these bolts pass through bushings 33 which are located in the buck I. The horizontal web of the clamping member 36 is provided with upstanding perforated bosses 34. The rigid clamping member 30 is provided with an upstanding flange 35, which has a T-shaped extension 36. The drawings are substantially to scale and reference can be made thereto for further details. As shown in Fig. 8, the upstanding flange 35 has a re-entrant or concave portion 31.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Referring to Fig. 1, the handle I8 is turned clockwise in order to shift the head 2l from the operative position shown in Fig. 1 to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 2. In said operative position, the head 2l abuts stop 2B. The vmutilated gear I6 is turned clockwise in unison with the handle I8, and the mutilated gear I4 is turned counterclockwise in unisonV with the handle I8. The pivot pin II is thus turned counterclockwise, and the head 2I is also turned counterclockwise in unison with gear I4 until said head abuts the stop 6. The resilient clamping member 26 is then rearwardly inclined.

When the handle I8 is turned counterclock- Wise from the position shown in Fig. 2, to the position shown in Fig. 1, the head 2l is turned clockwise until the resilient band 29 overlies the front upstanding surface of the upstanding flange 35. During said turning movement, the band 20 preferably does not come into contact with said flange 35, save at the corner portions 35a and 35h of said flange. As shown in Fig. 9, the front surface or wall of the upstanding flange 35 is inclined to the vertical plane. This inclination provides sufficient space for the collar of the shirt or other garment between the members 35 and 26, when the member 20 is in its operative position. When the member 20 is in its operative position, it abuts the corner portions 35a and 35h of the member 35. The natural inherent resilience of the member 20 retains the same in the operative position shown in Fig. 9, so that it requires positive force to move the member 20 out of its operative position.

Likewise, when the gear I6 is turned counterclockwise and the gear I4 is simultaneously turned clockwise, through a predetermined angle, the adjacent ends of the cam members I5 and Il come into abutting relation, so that the pivoted arm I is turned fromy the upstanding position shown in Fig. 5, to the rearwardly inclined position shown in Fig. 6. This compresses the spring 9. The head 2l is therefore moved horizontally towards the adjacent portion of arm 5 and the resilient clamping member 20 is moved towards the wall or flange 35 in a horizontal direction, thus tightly clamping the collar of the shirt or other garment between the upstanding flange 35 and the outer end of the resilient clamping member 20. The resilient clamping member 20 is thus moved horizontally, just before the completion of the turning movement of the resilient clamping member 2D, and after the resilient clamping member 28 has Wholly cleared-the top of the upstanding wall 35.

As shown in Fig. 5, there is a recess between the last tooth of the partial gear I6 and the member I1, and the member I5 has a nose Which enters said recess as the resilient clamping member 20 is turned to its operative position. The combined cam members and partial gears thus have intermeshing means other than the gear teeth thereof.

The springs 26 are compressed when the clamping member 20 is in operative position, and said springs therefore urge the outer end of the member 20 towards the wall 35, thus clamping the collar of the garment in upstanding position. The re-entrant shape of the portion 3'I of the wall ange 35 permits the resilient outer end-portion of the member 25 to yield so as to secure better clamping effect.

The movement of head 2I and of band 20, in a direction which is generally parallel to the top surface of the buck, may be designated as a longitudinal movement. The longitudinal movement of rigid head 2l longitudinally actuates the clamp 20, through the springs 26, bushings 25, and rods 22. f

The nuts 2l can be adjusted so as to regulate the normal compression of springs 26.

The compression spring 9 maintains the noses of the cams I5 and I'I forced against each other when the clamping member 20 is in operative position.

When the resilient clamping member 26 is turned to its operative position, it may clear the corner portions 35a and 35h of the wall 35 or ride along said corner portions.

The resilient clamping member 20 is thus automatically turned so as to clear the upstanding wall 35 and the adjacent upstanding wall of the collar of the garment. The resilient clamping member 2U is then moved longitudinally into final clamping position. This sequence of movements is one of the important features of the invention.

It is clear that numerous changes and omissions can be made in the preferred embodiment herein described Without departing from the spirit of the invention. The operating means may be greatly varied, in order to secure the operation herein described.

The improved device is used for holding the neck-bands of neck-band shirts in position, in addition to holding the collars of collar-attached shirts in position.

I claim:

1. In combination With a pressing machine which has a buck and a frame, a rst clamp mounted on said buck and having an upstanding clamping flange, an arm laterally spaced from said buck and rotatably connected to said frame, a first shaft turnably connected to said arm above the axis of rotation of said arm relative to the frame, a head fixed to said first shaft and rotatable relative to said arm, a second and resilient clamp connected to Said head and turnable in unison with said head relative to said arm, the second clamp and the head being movable relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said head relative to. said arm, rst spring means yield-A ably maintaining the second clamp in normal position relative to said head, second spring means yieldably maintaining said arm in predeterminedv normal position relative to the first clamp, a rst gear keyed to said first shaft, a second shaft turnably connected to said frame and laterally spaced from said buck, said second shaft having a second gear which meshes with the first gear, the second clamp having an outer end-portion of substantially the same contour as said flange, said outer end-portion being spaced laterally from said flange when the head is turned downwardly until said end-portion-is below the top of said ange and while said second clamp and said arm are in their respective normal positions, said shafts having respective cooperating members which abut each other when said head has been turned downwardly to the aforesaid position, said cooperating members then turning said arm laterally away from said first clamp against the force of the second spring means, and thus moving said end-portion latterally towards said flange until said end-portion is in operative clamping position, and its further lateral movement is stopped, the second clamp `being then out of its normal position relative to said head and said rst spring means then urging the second clamp laterally towards the first clamp.

2. In combination with a pressing machine which has a buck and a frame, a rst clamp mounted on said buck and having an upstanding clamping ange, an arm laterally spaced from said buck and movably connected to said frame, spring means which bias said arm to a normal position, a first shaft turnably connected to said arm, a second and resilient clamp connected to said .rst shaft and turnable in unison with the first shaft, a second shaft turnably mounted in the frame and spaced laterally from said buck, said shafts being interconnected to turn in unison, the second clamp being turnable relative to the arm to move below the top of said iiange when said arm is in predetermined normal position, cams respectively mounted on said shafts and turnably abutting each other, said cams being shaped to move said arm laterally away from said first clamp and out of the normal position of said arm when the second clamp has been turned until it is below the top of said flange.

3. In combination, a first support having a iirst clamping member xed thereto, said rst clamping member having an upstanding ange which has a front clamping wall, a second support, a second clamping member rotatably connected to the second support by a shaft and turnable in unison with said shaft, the axis of rotation of the second clamping member being located above and rearwardly of the top of said clamping wall, the second support being movable towards and away from said front wall in a direction substantially perpendicular to said axis of rotation, rst spring means biasing the second support to a predetermined normal position relative to said front clamping wall, said second support and the second clamping member being movable relative to each other in a direction perpendicular tosaid axis of rotation, second spring means biasing said second support and the second clamping member to a predetermined normal position of said second clamping member relative lto the second support, said second clamping member being downwardly turnable to a position in which its front-portion is located below the top of said front clamping wall and in which said front-portion is located in front of said front clamping wall when said second support and said second clamping member are in their aforesaid respective normal positions, automatic means operated by said shaft after said second clamping member has been turned downwardly to its aforesaid position to move said second support away from said front wall and out of the respective normal position of said second support and against the force of said rst spring means until the second clamping member has been moved towards said front wall to final clamping position and said second clamping member has been moved out of its respective normal position against the force of the second spring means.

4. In combination, a first support having a rst clamping member fixed thereto, said first clamping member having an upstanding flange which has a front clamping wall, a second support, a second clamping member rotatably connected to the second support, the axis of rotation of the second clamping member being located above the top of said front wall and rearwardly of said front wall, spring means biasing the second support to a predetermined normal position relative to said front wall, said second clamping member being turnable to a position in which its front portion is located below the top of said front wall and in front of said front wall when said second support is in said normal position, automatic means operable in unison with the second support and adapted to move the second support out of its normal position and against the force of said spring means to move said front portion towards said front clamping wall until the second clamping member is in operative clamping position, said automatic means thus moving the second support out of its normal position only when said front portion is located below the top of said front wall.

WALTER A. HOCH. 

